Pressure-cooker.



A, R. THOMPSON. PRESSURE CO0KER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

A. R. THOMPSON.

PRESSURE COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED wur mums.

Patented J an. 2, 1917;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I IN VEN TOR. J/Jut I 2/ WITNESS A TTORNE Y.

A. R. THOMPSON.

PRESSURE COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26.1916.

Patented J al l. 2, 191,7.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Jan. 2,1917

i 4 SHEETS- -SHEET 4 ATTORNEY.

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PRESSURE COOKER. nrucmofu FILED JULY 26. ms

WITNESS 'uNrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT R. T H CQKPSQN, OIQ SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANDERSON- BABNGROVER METER-'00., SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION" OF CALIFORNIA.

PRESSURE-COOKER.

To all whom it m ay concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT R. Ti oiursolv, a citizen of the United States, residing at (San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressure Cookers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a cooker for sealed cans containing food products and the like, wherein the cans and the material contained therein are subjected to steam under pressure for a given length of time. In devices of this type it is necessary. in order to maintain the desired pressure wi h in the.cooking chamber and to prevent the escape of steam therefrom, to provide means for introducing the cans into said chamber, and for removing them therefrom, in such a manner that at no time will there be established a direct communication between said chamber and the outside air. In order to accomplish this result, I make use of a valve constituting an improved form of the package-handling valve for steam-tight chambers, for which United States Letters Patent No. 1,188,581, dated June 27, 1916, were granted upon my application. It is also highly desirable, in cookers of the type described, to provide means for positively and accurately feeding the cans into the entrance and exit valves, and for removing said cans therefrom, instead of depend ing npon gravity alone for moving the cans. This I'acco nplish in the present'device by automatic feed and discharge mechanism which will be hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation, broken,

of my cooker, certain parts being in partial section. Fig. 2 is a part sectional end elevation, enlarged, viewed from the left end, the sectioned part being on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a part sectional end-elevation. enlarged, viewed from the right end, the sectioned part being on the line ,33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the initial .feed wheel 14 exposed in its drum 13.. Fig '5 is a sectional detail, enlarged, on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a top view of the cam GSf-Which controlsthej outlet valve with respect to the presence or absence of a can. v Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic views showing the operation of the inlet valve 65 which is also.the operation of the outlet Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ci 2, 1917.

Application filed July 26, 1916. Serial No. 111,476.

valve when a'can is present. Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view showing the first operation of the outlet valve when no can is present.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates the shell or barrel, constituting the cooking chamber, which is here shown as of cylindrical form, closed at its ends by means of suitable end plates 2, and sup ported upon legs 3. The barrel 1 is tobe supplied with steam under pressure, but 'as this is well known in cookers of the pressure type, I- have not deemed it necessary to show the steam connections. Also with regard to the can-path or course of the cans through the barrel or cooking chamber, the -form I herein partially show in 133g. 2 is that now well known, as. for example, that shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,172,501, dated Feby. 22, 1916, granted upon my application, and comprisin g an outer fixed helically directed rail 4 of T-section the leg 5 of said rail extending inwardly, and an inner rotatable reel or drum member 6, mounted on a shaft 7 and carrying an annular series of angle rails 8 parallel with the axis of the reel. By the rotation of the reel member 6, the cans lying between the helically directed rail 4 and the annular series ofrails 8 are carried throughout the cooking chamber in the manner common to cookers of this type.

The shaft 7 carrying the reel or drum 'member 6 isv suitably journaled in the end plates 2. with appropriate means, not illustrated, for preventing the escape of steam,

and projects outwardly beyond said endplates. One of said projecting ends carries a worm wheel 9, Figs. '1 and 9., which meshes with and is driven by a worm indicated at 10 in Fig. 2, fixed upon a transverse drive shaft 11 carrying a drive pulley 11', F5 g. 1.

The cansi containing the material to be cooked are fed into the bairel by the mech- "anism seen in elevation at the left in Fig; 1

4nd. a continuously rotating shaft 18. This shaft 18, through the gears 19 and 20,

Y Fig. .3, drives a cam shaft 21, and is itself driven by a main drive shaft 11 by means of a train of hovel gears 22, 23 and 2st,,a verti- *al shaft and a pair oi: bevel gears 26 an the latter being mounted on the shaft is, all as scen'in Fig. 1.

wheel 11. which as seen in Fig. 5, ado double, has a series of peripheral ms 1.3;, each adapted to receive a iulvauce the same within the drum 13, a deliver it, in the proper timed relation, into the can inlet valve. The delivery oi the can is positively effected by means of a liar-d finger 13Figs. 4: and 5, which lies between the double members of the feed wheel ll. The can inlet valve is essentially simila to the package handling valve for steam-tight chambers, for which United State; Letters Patent No. 1,188,581, were issued, as above mentioned, and comprises a cylindrr 28, Figs. 1, 2 and 4, having a can inlet port communicating with the feed wheel drum 13, Fig. 4, and a can outlet port 30, out -of line with said can inlet port, and communicating with a second feed-wheel shell 31, as seen in Fig. 2. A pair of oppositely' disposed steam-tight pistons 32 and 32, which are indicated in Figs. 7 to 10, are slidably mounted within said cylinder 28, and are operated, through connecting rods 33 and by levers 34 andBi, fulcrumed respectively 35 and 35, and carrying cam following rollers adapted to lie within and follow groove cams 36 and 36, the latter being fixed upon a main horizontal cam operation of this valve, ref- CFQDL. had to Figs. 7 to 10. The pistons o 32' actuated by the abor descril d mechanism, are spaced apart when at the right hand limit of their travel. as seen inFig. 7, to allow a can to be interposed between them. in a horizontal position, by the intermittent feed wheel 14. Said pistons then move to the hut, as in Fig. 8. with the can between them, until said can is brought into registry with the outlet port 30. the inlet port being covered by the piston 32 befor the outlet port 30 is uncovered by t .e p l 32'. After the can is discharged in the outlet port 30, the piston 32 approaches the piston 32, as in Fig. 9. thereby lowing the steam contained thcrebetween back ilnough said outlet port into feed wheel easing and the barrel of the cooker. to prevent any loss or waste of steam. The two pistons then travel. in close relation, to the right until the can outlet port is entirely -l piston 32", :hich they assume their 4 in readiness lit a (3 an {I filiSlllL iroz'npt and positive removal of t driven by the bevel gear 23. To.

. BEST AVAILABLE commas the canlfrom the steam-tight valve, I have provided an .ejector rod 38, Figs. 1 and 2, slidably mounted in a bracket 39 and extending, as shown in Fig. 2, into the 'piston valve-cylinder through a suitable steamtight packing gland 40, at right angles to the axis of said cylinder and opposite the can outlet port 30. The ejector rod is operatcd,,at the proper time, by a lever 41, Fig. 2, fulcrumed at 42, and carrying a cam {01- 7 lowing roller 43 adapted to lie within and follow a groove cam carried upon the shaft 21. The can is thus forced by the ejector 38 out of the valve and into the feedwhcel shell 31, and is caught within one of the pockets 45, Fig. 2, of a feed wheel This feed wheel is carried upon a horizontal shaft 46, which is continuously driven by means of a pair of gears 17 and 48, Fig. 1, the latter being fixed upon the projecting right hand end of the main drum shaft 7'. This continuously rotating feed wheel 45 carries the can around, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, and delivers it into the barrel of thecooker and between the helically directed rail 4 and the annular series of rails 8 of the drum 6, which rails, as before stated. constitute the can-path.

At the discharge end of the machine is a discharge wheel 51, Fig. 3, mounted upon the continuously driven shaft 46. and inclosed by a shell 52. Said wheel is formed with peripheral recesses 51', each adapted to receive a can from the can-path rails 8 of the drum 6 and convey the some out of the barrel 1 and into a steam-tight discharge valve, the action of said wheel being similar to that of the feed wheel at the inlet end of the cooking chamber. Said discharge wheel is composed of two similar disks, one only 105 being shown in Fig. 3, spaced apart sulli cicntly to permit a swinging discharge finger 53 to operate between them. Said finger is fulcrumed at 54, and carries at its lower end a cam following roller 55, adapted to lie within and follow a groove 56, formed in a cam member 57 fixed upon the cam shaft 37. The operation of said discharge finger is So timed that each succeeding can is pushed out of its recess 51. and, guided by the sta- 115 tionary finger 58, is deposited, in a. lrori-,, zontal position within the cylinder 59 of the can outlet valve. This can outlet valve is provided with a can inlet port 60, a can outlet port 60, and a pairof oppositely dis-J 0 posed slidingpistons 61 and 61, Figs. 1 and 11, said pistons being operated through connecting rods 62 and 62', by levers 63 and 63' fulcrumed at 64 and 64, and engaged by groove cams 65 and 65 mounted upon the 1 cam shaft 37. Said can outlet or discharge valve operates when a can is prescnt,.in a manner essentially similar to that of the can inlet valve previously described. But it differs from said last named valve in that One side of the cam 65', as shown parv ticularly in Fig. 6, is straight for a portion 66 of its circumference, followed by a comparatively sudden offset 66'. The opposite side 6'2 of the groove isv ofiset at a lesser angle, as shown. A spring 68, Fig. 1, normally holds the roller attached to the lever 63 against the straight side 66 until the sudden offset 66 is reached. Therefore, when no can is introduced into the valve from the discharge wheel 51, the piston 61" remains stationary until the opposite piston 61 ap proaches into contiguity therewith, as shown in Fig. 1.1, thereby forcing the steam contained between said pistons back into the barrel to prevent its loss and to save the op- 1 remaining in contiguity .until the can inlet port 60 is closed by the piston 61, after which the remainder of the cycle is completed in the usual manner. If a can be interposed between said pistons, however. the initial movement of the piston 61 will force the can against the piston 61, and will thereby move said piston 61 against the tension of the spring 68, so that the roller carried by the lever 63' will follow approximately the side 6'? of the cam groove. Both pistons will then move to the left, carrying the can between them until said can is in line with the can outlet port 60, whereupon the piston 61' will stop, and the piston 61 will be moved slightly farther, by the action of the portion 66' of the cam groove, to free the can. After the discharge of said can, the piston. 61 closes up on the piston 61, and both move back together, finally separating to permit the entrance therebetwcen of another can.

To eject the can from the discharge valve, I provide a finger 69, Figs. 1*. and 3, fulcrumed at it and pr( 'ided at its lower end with a roller 71, Fig. 3, adapted to lie within a groove 72 in 'tl'ldIQW-EYSG face of the cam member 57. Said. finger ejec :5 each can from between the pistons of the discharge valve, and forces said can out through the dis charge port 60 into a discharge chute indi cated at 73, from which it may be removed in any convenient manner. The delivery of the cans from the can path rails 8 of the reel 6 is made positive, by means of the fixed finger 74, shown in Fig. 3. This finger projects into the cooking chamher 1, its inner end being so disposed rela-. tively to the circular path of the reel, that as the rails 8 carry the cans up to their delivery communication with the discharge Wheel shell 52, they successively meet with the finger 74 and are diverted from the rails and delivered intothe ockets 51 of the discharge wheel 51. T eir discharge from the cooking chamber is thus not dependent on gravity but is positive, a requirement of value m apressure cooker.

' I claim 1. A pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with openings for the recaption and discharge of the can; means within the chamber to advance the can therethrough; valves to control the can openings of the chamber; and a movable finger to v positively eject the can from said valves.

2. A pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with openings for the reception and discharge of the can; means within the chamber to advance the can therethrough: can-carrying wheels in linid tight communication with the chamber openings; and valves to control the feed of the can to one of said wheels and its discharge from the other.

A pressure cooker comprising a cooklug chamber provided with openings for the reception and discharge oi the can; means within the chamber to advance the can therethrough; can-carrying wheels in fluid tight communication with the chamber openings; valves to control the feed of the can to one of said wheels and its discharge from the other; and means for positively feeding and ejecting the can from said valves.

4. A. pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with openings for the reception and discharge of the can; means within the chamber to advance the can therethrough; can-carrying wheels in fluid tight communication with the chamber openings; valves to control the feed of the canto one of said wheels and its discharge from the other;'and a mo able finger opcrating in connection with said last named wheel to positively discharge the can therefrom into the valve.

5. A pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with openings for the reception and discharge of the can; means within the chamber to advance the can thcre through; can-carrying wheels in iluid tight communication with the chamber openings;

valves to control'the feed of the can to one of said wheels and its discharge from the (5. A. pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with an inlet and an outlet opening and having means within it to advance the can therethrough; an initial can-feed wheel; a valve in fluid tight communication with said feed wheel; and a second can-feed wheel in fluid tight communication with said valve and with the cooking chamber. 7. A pressure cooker comprisinga cooking chamber provided with an inlet and an outlet opening and having means within it to advance the can therethrough; a rotatable initial can-feed wheel; a fixed finger to eject the can from said wheel; a valve in fluid tightcommunication with said feed wheel; a movable finger to positively eject the can from said valve; and a second can-feed wheel in fluid tight communication with said valve and with the cooking chamber.

- S. A pressure cooker comprising acooking chamber provided with openings for the reception and discharge of the can; means within. said chamber to advance the can therethrough; valves to control the can openings of the chamber consisting! of a cylinder having a port to receive the can and a separate port to deliver 1t,.and a pair of independent opposing pistons in said cylinder havinga movement both in unison and with relation to each other to receive and deliver the can and displace the" steam between, them and in all positions to close communication between the cylinder ports irrespective oi the can; and a movable finger operating through the cylinder wall opposite its delivery port, to contact with and positively discharge the can through said port.

9. A pressure cooker comprising av cooking chamber provided with openings for the reception and discharge of the can; means within said chamber to advance the can therethrough; can-carrying wheels in fluid tight communication with the chamber openings; and valves in fluidtight communication withsaid wheels, consisting of a cylinder having a port to receive the can and a separate port to deliver it and a pair of independent opposing pistons in said cylinder having a movement both in unison and with rela ion to each other to receive and deliver the can and displace the steam between them and in all positions to close communication between the cylinder ports irrespective of the can.

10. A pressure cooker comprising cooking chamber provided with openings or the reception and discharge of the can; means within sald chamber to advance the can therethrough; can-carryin wheels in flpid, tight communication with t e chamber open;

. and in all positions to close communication between the cylinder ports irrespective t0 the can; and a movable finger'operating in the cylinder opposite its delivery port, to

ing 'inent both :1 unison and with relation to BEST AVAILABLE COPewm ing chamber provided with a can inlet and a can outlet means within the chamber to advance the can from the inlet to the outlet; and a valve to control the outlet consisting of a cylinder having sport in communication with the outlet to receive the can therefrom, and a second port to dis- I can, a pair of independent opposstons in said cylinder having a moveeach other to receive and deliver the can and in all positions to close communication between th cylinder ports irrespective of chamber g' rovided with a can inlet a can outlet; means within the chanila advance the can. fromthe inlet to the; outlet; a can discharge wheel in fluid tight communication with the chamber outlet to receive the can therefrom; a valve in iluid tight connection with the can-discharge wheel, consisting of a cylinder havingfa port to receive the can from the wheel and a delivery port for said can and a pa'ir of independent opposing pistons in said cylinder to advance the can therethrough in all positions closing communication between the cylinder ports irrespective of the can; and means operating when no can 'is delivered bctwecnthe istons, to effect their approach and there y drive back the steam into the chamber.

13. pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with a can inlet and a can outlet; means within the chamber to advance the can from the inlet to the outlet;

a can discharge wheel in fluid tight communication with the chamber'outlet to receive the can therefrom; valve in fluid tight connection with the can-discharge wheel, consisting of a cylinder having a port to receive the can from the wheel and a delivery port for said can and-a pair of independent opposing pistons in said cylinder to advance the can therethrough in all positlons closing communication between the cylinder ports irrespective of the can; means operating when no can is delivered between v the pistons, to effect their approach and thereby drive back the steam into the chamber; and a movable finger in jusisiposition to the can-discharge wheel to positively v force therefrom the can when resent into the inlet port of the valve cylin er.

14. A. pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with a can inlet and a can outlet; means within the chamber to advance the can from the inlet to the outlet; a can discharge wheel in fluid tight communicat'ion with the chamber outlet to receive-the can therefrom; a valve in fluid tight connection with the .can-discharge,

wheel, consisting of a cylinder having a port to receive the can from the wheel and a delivery port for said can and a pair of independent opposing pistons in said cylinder to advance the can therethrough in all positions closing communication between the cylinder ports irrespective of, the can; means 'operating when no canis delivered between the pistons, to effect their approach and thereby drive back the steam into the chama her; a movable finger in juxtaposition to the can-discharge wheel to positively force therefrom the can when present into the inlet port of the valve cylinder; and a movable finger operating through the wall of the valve cylinder opposite its outlet port to positively force the can therefrom.

15. In a pressure cooker, the combination with rotating can-carrying members of the can path within the cooking chamber,

and means for receiving the cans therefrom,

of a fixed finger contiguous to said can carrying members and adapted to positively divert the cans therefrom into the receiving means. V

16. In a pressure cooker, the combination a wheel.

17 In a pressure cooker, the combination of-,a cooking chamber; a can path within the; chamber comprising a rotating series of can carrying rails; an exterior shell in communication with the cooking chamber to receive the cans therefrom; a discharge wheel within said shell; a fixed finger contiguous to said can carrying rails to positively di vert the cans therefrom to the discharge wheel; a discharge valve in communication with the shell; and a movable finger to positively force the can from the discharge wheel into the valve.

18. In a pressure cooker, the combination of a cooking chamber; a can path within the chamber comprising a rotating series of can carrying rails; an exterior shell in communication with the cooking chamber to receive the cans therefrom; a discharge wheel within said shell a fixed finger contiguous to said can carrying rails to positively divert the cans therefrom to the dis charge wheel; .a discharge valve in communication with the shell; a movable finger to positively force the can from the discharge wheelinto the valve; and a movable finger to positively discharge the can from the valve.

19. A pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with openings for the reception and discharge of the can; means within the chamber to advance the can therethrough; valves to control the canopenings of the chamber; and means for positively feeding the can to said valves and ejecting it therefrom.

20. A pressure cooker comprising a cooking chamber provided with openings for the 1 reception and discharge of the can; means within the chamber to advance the can therethrough; valves to control the can-' openings of the chamber; and suitablefinsgers operating on the can to positively feed it to said valvesand to eject it therefrom.

' .In testimony whereof I have signed my 83 name to this specification in the presence'of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT R. T oMPsoN;

2 Witnesses:

WM. )3. Boom, D. B. RICHARDS. 

